TV Casting Call: Brandon Routh to Play Vegan Nurse in CBS Comedy PARTNERS; Justin Bartha Set as Lead in Ryan Murphy’s Comedy Pilot THE NEW NORMAL

We’ve got a couple of TV casting stories to share with you this evening. First up, Superman Returns star Brandon Routh, Elizabeth Regen (The Professional), and Lucy Davis (Shaun of the Dead) have joined the CBS half-hour comedy pilot Partners. The multi-camera show comes from Will & Grace creators Max Mutchnick and David Kohan and centers on two lifelong friends and business partners Charlie, who’s straight and Louis, who’s gay. Michael Urie plays Louis and Deadline reports that Routh will play Louis’ partner, “a former alcoholic, club hopping model, now a sober, vegan nurse.” Sadly, the nurse is devoid of any vegan-infused superpowers.

Regen will play Ro-Ro, Charlie and Louis’ colorful assistant while Davis (who starred on the original British version of The Office) will play a bookkeeper for Charlie’s fiancé, played by Sophia Bush. Routh is no stranger to the small screen as he had a memorable recurring character on NBC’s Chuck, and I think his infectious charm suits him well for this role. Hit the jump for casting news concerning The Hangover star Justin Bartha joining Ryan Murphy’s high-profile comedy pilot.

Additionally, Glee/American Horror Story creator Ryan Murphy has found his two other leads for the half-hour comedy pilot The New Normal. The series is described as “a heartwarming comedy about a blended family of a gay couple, Bryan and David, a gynecologist, and a woman, cash-strapped waitress and mother of one Goldie, who becomes a surrogate to help them have a child. Book of Mormon star Andrew Rannells is already set as Bryan, and Deadline reports that Justin Bartha will play David while Scottish actress Georgia King is poised to play Goldie.

Murphy co-wrote the pilot with Ali Adler, and Ellen Barkin is set to appear as Goldie’s mother. There’s no guarantee that the single-camera comedy will go to series, but I’d say it’s a pretty safe bet given Murphy’s “God of Television” status as of late. Murphy’s great at coming up with novel ideas for series, but his long-term execution generally becomes spotty. Nip/Tuck crashed and burned after a few seasons, and Glee has been suffering creatively for quite a while now. Hopefully Adler will have a solid hand in the show should it go to series in order to keep it from going full-on soap too quickly.